Authors’ response to letter to the editor: “Meta-analysis on vitamin C and the common cold in children may be misleading”

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 1749-1750
Author(s):  
Philippe Vorilhon ◽  
Bastien Arpajou ◽  
Hélène Vaillant Roussel ◽  
Étienne Merlin ◽  
Bruno Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin C ◽  
Common Cold ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Letter To The Editor ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Flavanones common to citrus fruits activate the interferon-stimulated response element by stimulating expression of IRF7

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Fast ◽  
Nathan P. Stern ◽  
Jennifer Chuang ◽  
Yingqin Li ◽  
Jeffrey D. Scholten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin C ◽  
Common Cold ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Clinical Trial Data ◽  
Citrus Fruits ◽  
Response Element ◽  
Duration Of Symptoms ◽  
Nfkb Activation ◽  
Citrus Flavonoids ◽  
The Common

Citrus fruits are a rich source of vitamin C and phytochemicals and can be an important part of a healthy diet. Citrus is believed to prevent the occurrence or shorten the duration of symptoms of the common cold and influenza, but meta-analysis of vitamin C clinical trial data is inconclusive. We examined whether citrus flavonoids activated antiviral pathways that might explain the perceived efficacy against the common cold and influenza. We found that a citrus bioflavonoid blend augmented NFkB activation in the presence of imiquimod. In addition, the citrus bioflavonoid blend, as well as individual flavonoids found in the blend, activated the interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE). The ability to activate the ISRE appeared to due to the flavonoids’ ability to upregulate expression of the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7). Our results suggest that flavonoids from citrus may stimulate antiviral pathways due to their ability to activate the ISRE.

scholarly journals Extra Dose of Vitamin C Based on a Daily Supplementation Shortens the Common Cold: A Meta-Analysis of 9 Randomized Controlled Trials

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Ran ◽  
Wenli Zhao ◽  
Jingxia Wang ◽  
Hongwu Wang ◽  
Ye Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin C ◽  
Common Cold ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
China National Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Knowledge Infrastructure ◽  
The Common ◽  
Therapeutic Doses

Aim. To investigate whether vitamin C is effective in the treatment of the common cold.Method. After systematically searching the National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Elsevier, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP databases, and WANFANG databases, 9 randomized placebo-controlled trials were included in our meta-analysis in RevMan 5.3 software, all of which were in English.Results. In the evaluation of vitamin C, administration of extra therapeutic doses at the onset of cold despite routine supplementation was found to help reduce its duration (mean difference (MD) = -0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-1.03, -0.10], and P = 0.02), shorten the time of confinement indoors (MD = -0.41, 95% CI [-0.62, -0.19], and P = 0.0002), and relieve the symptoms associated with it, including chest pain (MD = -0.40, 95% CI [-0.77, -0.03], and P = 0.03), fever (MD = -0.45, 95% CI [-0.78, -0.11], and P = 0.009), and chills (MD = -0.36, 95% CI [-0.65, -0.07], and P = 0.01).Conclusions. Extra doses of vitamin C could benefit some patients who contract the common cold despite taking daily vitamin C supplements.

scholarly journals Vitamin C and the common cold

1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harri Hemilä
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin C ◽  
Clinical Significance ◽  
Common Cold ◽  
Antioxidant Property ◽  
Considerable Decrease ◽  
Infected People ◽  
Supplemental Vitamin ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Common

The effect of vitamin C on the common cold has been the subject of several studies. These studies do not support a considerable decrease in the incidence of the common cold with supplemental vitamin C. However, vitamin C has consistently decreased the duration of cold episodes and the severity of symptoms. The benefits that have been observed in different studies show a large variation and, therefore, the clinical significance may not be clearly inferred from them. The biochemical explanation for the benefits may be based on the antioxidant property of vitamin C. In an infection, phagocytic leucocytes become activated and they produce oxidizing compounds which are released from the cell. By reacting with these oxidants, vitamin C may decrease the inflammatory effects caused by them. Scurvy, which is caused by a deficiency in vitamin C, is mostly attributed to the decreased synthesis of collagen. However, vitamin C also participates in several other reactions, such as the destruction of oxidizing substances. The common cold studies indicate that the amounts of vitamin C which safely protect from scurvy may still be too low to provide an efficient rate for other reactions, possibly antioxidant in nature, in infected people.

scholarly journals Bias against Vitamin C in Mainstream Medicine: Examples from Trials of Vitamin C for Infections

Life ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Harri Hemilä ◽  
Elizabeth Chalker
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Vitamin C ◽  
Common Cold ◽  
Evidence Based Medicine ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
The Third ◽  
Nutritional Recommendations ◽  
Mainstream Medicine ◽  
The Common ◽  
Based Medicine

Evidence has shown unambiguously that, in certain contexts, vitamin C is effective against the common cold. However, in mainstream medicine, the views on vitamin C and infections have been determined by eminence-based medicine rather than evidence-based medicine. The rejection of the demonstrated benefits of vitamin C is largely explained by three papers published in 1975—two published in JAMA and one in the American Journal of Medicine—all of which have been standard citations in textbooks of medicine and nutrition and in nutritional recommendations. Two of the papers were authored by Thomas Chalmers, an influential expert in clinical trials, and the third was authored by Paul Meier, a famous medical statistician. In this paper, we summarize several flaws in the three papers. In addition, we describe problems with two recent randomized trial reports published in JAMA which were presented in a way that misled readers. We also discuss shortcomings in three recent JAMA editorials on vitamin C. While most of our examples are from JAMA, it is not the only journal with apparent bias against vitamin C, but it illustrates the general views in mainstream medicine. We also consider potential explanations for the widespread bias against vitamin C.

scholarly journals Examining the evidence for the use of vitamin C in the prophylaxis and treatment of the common cold

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 295-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn A. Heimer ◽  
Ann Marie Hart ◽  
Linda Gore Martin ◽  
Sherrie Rubio-Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin C ◽  
Common Cold ◽  
The Common
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